OCHA Situation Report No. 2
China - Floods
24 June 2005


Floods in Zhejiang, Fujian, Jiangxi, Hunan, Guangdong, and Guangxi 
provinces

1. According to information released by the Ministry of Civil Affairs on 
23 June 2005, heavy rains since the middle of June resulted in severe 
floods, landslides and mud flows in Zhejiang, Fujian, Jiangxi, Hunan, 
Guangdong, and Guangxi provinces. As of 23 June, 97 people had lost 
their lives, 41 people were missing, 1.4 million people had been 
evacuated for resettlement, and 16.7 million people were affected in the 
above six provinces. The provinces of Guangxi, Fujian and Guangdong have 
been the worst affected by the floods.

2. Guangxi: 6,761 million people were affected, 38 people killed, 27 
people missing, and 761,000 people were evacuated.

3. Fujian: 1,593 million people were affected, 12 people killed and 
about 317,000 people evacuated.

4. Guangdong:  2.09 million people were affected, 42 people killed, 13 
people missing, and 204,000 people evacuated.

5. The affected people have been temporarily settled and the situation 
in the affected areas is stable.

6. Since the beginning of the year, floods, landslides and mud flows 
caused 528 deaths, the disappearance of 137 people, and the evacuation 
of over 2 million people. The direct economic loss is estimated at CNY 
19.49 billion (approximately USD 2.35 billion), which is higher than the 
average of the 1990s but lower than that caused by the devastating 
floods of 1991 and 1998.

7. The Party Central Committee and the State Council are actively 
involved in the relief efforts and have issued instructions to be 
carried out immediately. Line ministries cooperate closely with each 
other to support relief activities in the affected areas.

8. The local governments have activated emergency plans and allocated 
funds and materials to assist the affected people. The Guangxi 
Autonomous Region allocated CNY 10 million (about USD 1.2 million) in 
emergency funds, 2,365 tents, 7,000 mosquito nets, and clothing. The 
local government of Fujian allocated CNY 37 million (about USD 4.47 
million). Guangdong Province also allocated CNY 27.34 million (about USD 
3.3 million) as special relief funds.

9. The Ministry of Civil Affairs activated the Emergency Response Plan 
several times and sent 8 working teams to the affected areas to guide 
disaster relief activities and to console the disaster victims. In 
consultation with the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Civil Affairs 
has allocated CNY 257 million (about USD 31.05 million) to the affected 
areas in the country and shipped 18,100 tents to Fujian, Hunan, Guangxi, 
Guizhou, and Guangdong for the temporary settlements.

10. In Guangxi, the local branch of the RCSC has sent a relief team to 
assess the situation in the affected areas with the Federation 
delegation's field coordinator. A distribution of relief items is 
expected later on. The American embassy has donated USD 100,000 to the 
Red Cross Society of China (RCSC) for its flood relief operation in 
Hunan, Guangxi, Guizhou, Chongqing and Sichuan provinces.

Floods in Heilongjiang Province

11. According to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red 
Crescent Societies (IFRC), all bodies were found and rescue work was 
concluded on 20 June after the deadly floods that claimed 109 lives in 
the Shalan Township of Ning'an City in Heilongjiang Province, in 
northeastern China. The accident occurred on 10 June when 352 pupils and 
31 teaching staff were attending classes in the low-lying primary 
school, which was submerged by the rapidly rising floods. Among the 
dead, 105 were primary school students and four were villagers. The RCSC 
has started fundraising to rebuild the primary school.

12. OCHA is in close contact with the UN Resident Coordinator's Office 
in Beijing and will revert with further information as it becomes 
available. This situation report, together with further information on 
ongoing emergencies, is also available on the OCHA Internet Website at 
http://www.reliefweb.int.

Tel. +41-22-917 1234
Fax: +41-22-917 00 23
E-mail: ochagva@un.org

In case of emergency only: Tel. +41-22-917 20 10

Desk Officers:
   Mr. Soichi Nakajima, direct Tel. +41-22-917 4034
   Ms. Masayo Kondo, direct Tel. +41-22-917 1997

Press contact:
   GVA - Ms. M. Moulin-Acevedo, Direct Tel. +41-22-917 3160
   NYC - Ms. Stephanie Bunker, Direct Tel. +1-917 367 5126

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